The trial was conducted at 11.22 am in presence of the senior scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Defence secretary.

The HSTDV is an unmanned scramjet demonstration aircraft for hypersonic speed flight. This cruise vehicle is mounted on a solid rocket motor, which will take it to the required altitude. Once the required altitude and Mach numbers are achieved, the cruise vehicle ejects out of the launch vehicle and the scramjet engine will be auto-ignited mid-air and propel the cruise vehicle for next 20 seconds at Mach 6.

This is a dual-use technology project of the DRDO, which will have multiple civilian applications. It can be used for launching low-cost satellites and long-range cruise missiles.

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